


Thank God for Small Favors

by g_girl143



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, No Smut, Romantic Fluff, Tsundere Ben Solo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 09:20:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30036480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/g_girl143/pseuds/g_girl143
Summary: “I’m not going to work for free, Niima. So if you want my help, you’re going to have to pay up.”“With what? You’re the one with old money, Solo.”“I’m not asking for money. But there is a specific type of currency you can pay me with.”“What type of currency?”“Small favors.”Rey Niima is faced with her worst nightmare when she is paired up with Ben Solo for a science fair project. He is arrogant, rude, doesn’t give a damn about school and is failing every subject. But with college applications and a possible scholarship on the line, Rey is going to need all the help she can get. Ben agrees to help, but only if she pays for his time with small favors.
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 34
Kudos: 116





	Thank God for Small Favors

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm still trying to plough through a writer's block for my WIP ["Hatchling"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7714561/chapters/17580802). I'll get to it hopefully soon. In the meantime, I found this [awesome prompt on twitter by darthnoire](https://twitter.com/darthnoire/status/1369769763883413505) and couldn't resist writing. It's my first T-rated fic in a long while, and my first Reylo High School AU. Hope you guys like it!

“...Rey Niima and Ben Solo.”

_ “No. No. No.” _ Rey played the syllable over and over in her head. Maybe playing it enough times would drown out Ms. Kalonia’s earlier announcement, and she could pretend this was all a bad dream.

The snap of a closing book almost made her jump, and she looked up as Ms. Kalonia set her logbook down. “Alright, now that everyone’s paired up, I need you to go to your partners and start planning your project. Let’s make this year’s science fair the best one yet!”

Students started rising from their desks and going to their assigned partners, some talking excitedly while others grumbled in annoyance. Rey was the only one who kept quiet, fingers curled so tightly, her hands shook.

“Mr. Solo, feet off the desk, please.”

Rey looked over her shoulder to where Ben Solo sat in the back row. True enough, he had both feet on his desk, one thick-soled black boot over the other, a scowl etched on his long, mole-dotted face. 

“Mr. Solo?”

Solo’s scowl deepened, but he relented and did as he was told. He shot Rey a look, and she quickly turned away, doing her best to slow down her breathing.

This was  _ not _ happening.

Once she had calmed down, she rose to her feet but did not go to her assigned partner. Instead, she approached the teacher’s desk. 

Ms. Kalonia looked up from her laptop. “Ms. Niima? Is there a problem?”

“Ms. Kalonia, I was wondering if it’s possible for me to be paired up with someone else?” Rey asked, somehow managing to steady her voice as she pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I really want to do well for this year’s fair and...I was hoping that we’d get to choose our partners like we usually do.”

“But you partner with either Ms. Tico or Mr. Storm almost every year,” Ms. Kalonia pointed out. “Don’t you think it’s time for a change?”

“I do, but…” Rey trailed off, eyes darting to where Rose and Finn were talking animatedly. She suddenly found herself envious. The three of them were thick as thieves, and her two best friends would alternate every year as to who gets to work with her. Now, Rose and Finn were paired for the first time, while she was assigned the worst partner imaginable.

“But what?”

Rey pressed her lips together. She was going to have to be honest. “I have this project idea that I’m very passionate about which would look really good on my college application. I just want to work with someone who can be as passionate about it as I am.”

There. She said it in the nicest way possible. 

Ms. Kalonia sighed. “I appreciate your honesty, Ms. Niima, so I’m going to be straight with you. You’re a brilliant young lady and I have confidence that you can pull off the project by yourself. But the reason I partnered you with Mr. Solo is because he could use some help. He is failing almost every subject, and if things remain as they are, he might not be able to graduate.”

Rey toyed discreetly with the hem of her pink cardigan. She shouldn’t care if Solo didn’t graduate. He was bringing that on himself, but she could never really shake off the urge to help others. She knew what it was like to have people ignore your pleas for help.

“He showed so much potential before,” Ms. Kalonia continued, her voice wistful, “but then he started running with the wrong crowd. I still believe that potential lies in him though. Maybe all he needs is someone to set a good example for him.”

_ “That someone being me _ ,” Rey thought bitterly, but in the end, she nodded. “Okay, Ma’am. I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will.” Ms. Kalonia smiled. “Now, run along dear. You and Mr. Solo still have a lot to discuss.”

Rey slowly turned and dragged her feet to where Solo was. He was still looking at her, though his gaze was no longer intense. In fact, he looked bored, nose in the air and arms crossed over his chest, making his black leather jacket tighten over his biceps.

With eyes still on her, he combed his fingers through his long, dark hair, and she responded by flipping her own chestnut-brown hair to the side before grabbing her bag and heading towards his desk.

Without a word, she pulled up a chair and sat in front of him, mentally preparing herself for a conversation. The last time she had spoken to him was in first grade, when the principal forced her to apologize to him for scratching his face bloody. He had it coming. He had tormented her for months--pulling her hair, flipping her skirt, taunting her about her height or lack thereof until she finally snapped.

Mustering the courage to look him in the eye, she crossed her arms and mimicked not just his posture, but his dour expression. She thought she could see a faint scar running down his cheek where her fingernail had caught his skin, and it made her feel emboldened.

She cleared her throat. “Solo, I’m going to be real with you. You and I don’t like each other very much.” He scoffed and looked away. She ignored his reaction and continued. “But Ms. Kalonia said she paired us up so I could help you with your grades. As for me, I’m aiming not just to do well, but to win this year’s fair because it could make a difference for my college application. So I’d appreciate it if you cooperate and work with me on this project. For both our sake.”

Solo turned to her again, and she squirmed at how piercing his hazel eyes were. “Are you done?”

She tried not to swallow. “Yes.”

He leaned forward and put his elbows on the desk, and Rey found herself leaning back against her chair. “Let me see if I understood you correctly Niima. You need  _ my _ help right?”

“You need my help too,” Rey fired back. “I’d even go so far as to say you need my help more than I need yours.”

Solo scoffed again, lips curled into a smirk. “Yeah. Of course. You’re Rey Niima. Little Ms. Perfect with the perfect grades. And we don’t want that perfect record tarnished now, do we?”

She wasn’t sure if he was mocking her or threatening her. Either way, the result was the same. She was pissed. “You know what? Forget it. I don’t give a damn if you don’t graduate. You don’t want my help? Fine. I’ll just do this project on my own. Go ahead and free-ride. That’s what you want anyway.”

“Wait.”

She paused midway through standing and glared at him. He had a strange, faraway look in his eyes as he gestured for her to sit back down. Despite herself, she did.

He stared at her for a moment, one finger rubbing his lips before he leaned back, hands clasped over the desk. “Look, Niima. I don’t really care about my grades, or about graduating.”

“You don’t say?” Rey said mockingly, a hand over her chest as she faked being shocked.

Solo’s eye twitched, but he waved a hand and continued. “You, however, care about your education, so I’m going to play nice and help you with this stupid science project. But I’m going to need some incentive.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. Getting good grades and graduating was clearly not good enough motivators for him. She was afraid to ask, but she said, “What incentive are we talking here?”

“I’m not going to work for free, Niima.” He was smiling now. Rey did not like that one bit. “So if you want my help, you’re going to have to pay up.”

She almost laughed. “With what? You’re the one with old money, Solo.”

“I’m not asking for money.” He drummed his fingers against the desk. “But there is a specific type of currency you can pay me with.”

“What type of currency?” she asked.

“Small favors.”

She blinked at him, then felt her face contort in disgust.

“Not  _ that _ kind of favor,” Solo said as though he had read her mind. He sounded offended. “I’m not interested in you in that way.”

“The feeling is mutual,” she shot back. 

“Good.” His eye twitched again, but he still appeared cool and collected as he leaned back in his chair, both hands now behind his head. “So...do we have a deal?”

Rey thought about it for a moment, then slowly nodded. “Okay. But I have three stipulations.”

“Shoot.”

“One. If I find your request embarrassing, uncomfortable or impossible to do, I have every right to decline.”

“Fine.” He shrugged.

“Two. I’ll grant you one favor for every single day that you help me with the project and not for every little thing you do. If you can’t work with me on a certain day, then you don’t get a favor.”

“That’s fair.” He nodded. He seemed more relaxed now. “And the third?”

“Last but certainly not the least,” Rey took a deep breath, “you don’t request anything that involves me physically touching you.”

Solo’s face hardened, his eyes clouded with something she couldn’t define. “Not gonna be a problem. Told you. I’m not interested.”

“Good.” She held out a hand. “Deal?”

He looked at her hand for a moment, then said, “I thought you had a no touching rule.”

Rey rolled her eyes. “Just do it, Solo. This will be the first and last time.”

Solo seemed to hesitate for a moment before he reached out to take her hand in his. She was surprised by how much his hand dwarfed hers, and how gentle his handshake was. She had always assumed that he crushed anything he held.

“Deal,” he said before letting go. “I’d like to take my favor for the day now, before we talk about the project.”

“Fine. What is it?”

“Call me Ben.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to hubby for going through this chapter with me! I'm going to try and post the next chapter within the next few weeks.


End file.
